Art of making matches prom sheet stock



S. E. RAHE Sept., 17, 1929,

ART OF MAKING MATCHES FROM SHEET STOCK 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet l Filed Jan. 9

sept. 17, 1929. s. E. RAH 1,728,508

ART OF MAKING MATCHES FROM SHEET STOCK Filed Jan. 9. 1926 Z'Sheets-Sheet 2 A A 444 //l7 Patented Sept. 17, 1929 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE .ABT OF MAKING HATCHES FROM SHEET STOCK Application led January 9, 1926. Serial No. 80,251.

My invention relates to improvements in the art of making matches from sheet stock, usually in the form oi" wood veneers, and in the organization of machinery for carrying out the process. The general shop practice of making matches from sheet stock is to make them from wood Veneers, the veneers being generally cut into strips the width of which corresponds to the length of a match,

and the strips are then cut lengthwise of the grain into splints. If paper sheet stock is used, the splints are not generally completely formed, but are made up in card shape as for book matches, and torn oli' one by one. My

v improvements relate more particularly to the use of wood veneers, although other sheet stock may be used if it is desired to work said stock into complete splints, and carry out the dipping and boxing of these in substantially the customary manner.

Where wood veneers are used there is a great deal of loss in time and stock, from the fact that the general practice is to cut the veneer stock into splints, pass these splints through an impregnating liquid to prepare them so that they will not drop a coal, then dry the splints, then clean them, tumble them, shake them into parallel relation, and finally insert them in the carrier of a match dipping machine. All these operations are expensive, splints are 19st at each operation, and there is always more or less difficulty because of the character of the splints in inserting them regularly and without breaking in the dipper. The object of my invention is to overcome these diliiculties, and make the matches in such a way as to avoid all this handling, thereby cheapening the product to an appreciable extent. In

carrying out my improvements I can use machines of a known character, although I prefer to have the cutting machines made in accordance with the disclosure of my Pat-- ent No. 1,693,937, Dec. 4, 1928. The organization of the machines into av complete system is, however, I believe novel, and the machines are organized and arranged so that the veneer stock after being cut into strips suitable for manufacture into splints and matches, is never released so as to get out of shape, or have partly manufactured stock clog or escape, until the complete splints are perfectly set in the dipping machine. To this end I cut the stock strips so that each strip when cut into splints will form a charge for a row or rows in the dipper. The stock strips are placed edge to edge so that they will be advanced lengthwise of the grain, and passed in this shape throughan impregnating tank, then through a drying 00 machine, then while still held in close parallel relation, through a printing machine, where the stock may be printed so that the printing will appear on the finished material, then through a cutting machine or slit- 05 ting machine, which slits the stock into parallel splints without disturbing their arrangement, and finally inserting the finished splints while still held in parallel relation into the carrier of the dipping machine. Thus it will be seen that the stock is held securely until the matches are finished. In carrying out the invention, the impregnating and printing may be omitted if desired,

and in some cases dry stock may bepassed v simply through the printing and slitting machines, or even the slitting machine alone, and still be within my invention. All this will be better understood from the description which follows.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings formin a part of this specilication, in which simi ai' reference characters indicate corresponding parts in the view.

Figure 1 is a diagrammatic view of the 85 machine apparatus as organized to carry the improved art into effect;

Figure 2 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional elevation of a part of the apparatus; and

Figure 3 is a cross section on the line 3 3 of Figure2.

The first step is to prepare the stock, and l y 16 13 to hold it fiat and the strips of stock are laid upon the belt as well as upon the table so as to be carried vforward by the belt. As the stock strips emerge from the tank, they are fed forward over the guide table 17, 20 care being taken to hold them in close paralv lel relation. I have not shown the feeding means, because the idea of feeding the stock st-rips is ver common and well understood by those ski led in the art.

the drying machine 18, which can be any well known form of veneer drier, though .l prefer that type of drier in which platens 19 and 20 open and close with relation to the 3G stock so as to hold it fiat and permit the esca e of steam. After leaving the drying mac ine, the stock passes in its same relative positionA through a printing machine 21,

which canbe ordinary printing rolls, and

parallel columns of printing are printed on the stock, the printed matter being spaced so that when the stock is finally cut up, the cuts will come between the printed characters, leaving them on the finished match. This is 4o a desirable feature for advertising purposes. After leaving the printing machine, the stock goes strip by strip through the slitting machine 22, and this machine must be of such a character as to cut each strip simultaneously into parallel splints and hold them lin parallel relation so that they cannot be displaced. This machine is not well known, and I know of no machine except the' one referred to in my application above named,

which does this work.

The splints after being cut and while still in parallel relation, are then inserted by mechanism 23 in the carrier 24 of the matchy dipping machine. This carrier may be 'of any usual or preferred type, and the splints may be pushed into it by any preferred means. I have illustrated a conventional carrier running through openings 25 in the floor 26 above the place where the splints are inserted. The drawing shows a conventional dipping machine in which the carrier is given a long course to provide for drying the heads of the splints, and I have shown diagrammatically at 27 and 28 means for The wet strips are then carried through livered properly to the slittin machine 22,

in such a manner that it may e cut lengthwise of the grain. Obviously if it is not desired to impregnate the stock the strips may be passed through the drying machine without going through the impregnating tank, and if the stock has been dried, it may even be entered at the printing or slitting machine, but law and custom usually require that the match splints be impregnated for fire preventive purposes, and for most purposes the arrangement and organization which I have shown is desirable,

At the risk of repetition I wish to make impressive, first, that mat-ch splints because of their lightness, their liability to sliver, their liability to become fuzzy, and their size, are exceedingly diilicult things to handle, and the onl way to prevent loss in stock and time in handling, is to hold the splints so that they never become disturbed from their desired position, and my invention has this idea in mind and rovides adequately for carrying it into e ect.

1. rlhe improvement in the art of making matches which consists in feeding veneer. strips each of a size to make a charge for a row or rows of matches in the carrier of a dipping machine in a direction lengthwise of the grain and in separate but parallel relation through an impregnating bath, then in the same relation through a drying apparatus, then cutting the strips into splints and holding the splints as cut in arallel relation, and finally insertin the sp ints in the carrier of a dipping mac e.

2. The improvement in the art of making matches from wood veneer stock,'which consists in feedin the stock strips through an impregnating ath in separate but arallel relation, then in the same relation t rough a drying apparatus, then through a cutting machine arranged to cut the splints 'and hold themr in parallel relation, and inally inserting the splints in the carrier of a dipping machine.

3. The improvement in the art of making matches which comprises cutting wood veneersA into strips each of a size to make a chardeo match splints for a section of a dipping machine, carrying the strips fiatwise and unpiled in parallel relation through an impregnating bath and dryer, then slitting the individual strips sequentially into splints and holding the splints in undisturbed parallel relation, and iinally iniso serting the thus lield splints in the carrier of a dipping machine'.

4.v The improvement in the art of making matches which comprises arranging strips of wood veneer fiatwise and in parallel relation one behind the other each strip being of a size to make a charge ofl match splints for a section of a dipping machine, then slitting the strips sequentially while thus held into match splints, holding the cut splints in undisturbed parallel relation, and finally inserting the splints in a dipping machine.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification this 6th day of 15 January, 1926.

SAMUEL E. RAHE. 

